


United

by JustJoanna13



Series: Old World Blues [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-10-20 04:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17615432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJoanna13/pseuds/JustJoanna13
Summary: Arthur Maxson is now the Elder of the brotherhood of steel. He's single-handedly reunited the Brotherhood and stopped the rise of the super mutants in the Capital Wasteland. He's everything his men need him to be. Ten years after the deaths of Jo and Sarah, a new threat appears in the Commonwealth, giving Arthur a chance to escape the confines of the Citadel and to forget the ghosts of his past. But when a vault dweller arrives at the Prydwen, Arthur begins to realize that his ghosts aren’t entirely gone.





	1. Chapter 1 - Arthur Maxson, Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life as Elder can be extremely stressful.

  

 

The sun slowly rose over the Citadel as Elder Arthur Maxson watched proudly as he watched over the Bailey. The new batch of Initiates was starting target practice as knights patrolled the surrounding area. He continued to stroll around the Citadel. 

   "Hail, Elder!" 

   "Morning, Elder Maxson!" 

  Anytime the young man passed someone, they would give him a prompt salute before he raised his hand to dismiss them. After a few minutes of striding outside, Arthur finally walked inside to the cafeteria. As he walked inside, he could hear knights and initiates gossiping to each other. He tuned it out. There was no need to listen. He knew almost everything that went on. The cafeteria was especially loud as his brothers and sisters went to get breakfast. As Arthur approached the room, he could hear everyone's voices and laughter echo throughout the tiny halls. 

  When he arrived outside the cafeteria, he took a deep breath before walking inside. Unsurprisingly, the moment he walked in, everyone's laughter was shushed before being replaced with: "Morning, Elder Maxson!" 

 Curse number one. 

 After Arthur dismissed them, the room returned to its former state, although this time much quieter. He looked around and felt a slight frown on his face as he saw the closed door across from him. The quarters for the Lyon's Pride, never to be slept in again. 

 Curse number two. 

 The elder fixed his plate as soon as possible and grabbed a glass of water. Quickly, he left and made his way to his room. As he hurried to his quarters, he passed by a small bedroom. He didn't dare look at it. There was nothing left for him there. As soon as Arthur reached his room, he shut the door and took another deep breath. This was the only room he had to confront. Elder Lyons' room. His room. Arthur sat down at his desk and began to eat his food. After a while of eating, he finally drank from the glass of clean water and was reminded of her.

Curse number three.

 Arthur sighed and slowly lifted up a small necklace he wore around his neck. A small silver ring hung off the string and the young Elder held the ring firmly in his hands. He turned to a small mirror in his room. 

 He was met with a familiar face. A scarred face. His deathclaw scar etched into his skin as he began to notice the darkness under his eyes. He wondered if they'd even recognize him after all these years. He squeezed onto the ring tighter as he remembered the vault dweller from his youth, a lifetime ago. " _Until then, Arthur!"  
_

Arthur's hand began to move towards a drawer and without thinking, he pulled out a bottle of vodka. He quickly popped off the cap and chugged the whole thing down. His neck burned but his heart still felt empty. He drank another bottle. He almost drank another bottle but a fleeting thought snapped him out of his delusion. He has another meeting in an hour. Sighing, he just leaned back in his seat and to pass the time, he opened up recent reports from Paladin Danse. He briefly scanned them, nothing really standing out. Most of his team died. They held a police station. They recruited a wastelander. Secured the Deep Range Transmitter. Nothing really special. After going through report after report, the hour slowly passed and the Elder made his way to the Great Hall. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Lights blinded him as he entered the room. Everyone was already gathered at their seats. Lancer-Captain Kells, Scribe Rothchild and Scribe Neriah, Archivist Knox, Proctor Ingram and Proctor Quinlan, and Knight-Captain Cade. Even his highest paladins waited for him. All eyes were on him as he stood up straight and approached his chair. As soon as Proctor Quinlan hit record on the holotape recorder, the meeting began. 

 "I gathered everyone here today because something serious has come to my attention," Maxson began. He looked at everyone's faces one by one. "Paladin Danse's recon team in the Commonwealth has made an unnerving discovery. Archivist Knox? Would you care to explain?" 

 Archivist Knox stood up from his seat. "Yes, Elder. Paladin Danse's team picked up on unusual energy readings that were running on an extreme high-band frequency. He says that these readings are 'sporadic' and appear at very specific locations. After analyzing these readings, I found that these readings were not pre-war or natural, but artificial. Something is out there creating these readings and whatever it is, it is using extremely advanced technology to produce them..." 

 "According to Paladin Danse," Elder Maxson continued. "There is a boogeyman in the Commonwealth known as the Institute. They have created a machine known as the synth which clones humans, kills their human counterpart, and blends in with their family to spy on the Institute. If we let these abominations of nature run amok the Commonwealth, it could prove disastrous. To protect the people of the Commonwealth, we need to head there as soon as possible. I'm not going to stand idly by while the people of the Commonwealth live in fear." He turned to Kells and Ingram. 

  "I need you two to prepare the Prydwen to get there as fast as we can. Understood?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

 He turned to Proctor Quinlan. 

 "And I need you to look through any documents that could provide useful to us in the Commonwealth. Understood, Proctor?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

 He turned to Scribe Rothchild and Archivist Knox. 

"You two will have to stay here at the Citadel for now. I need you to make sure the Capital Wasteland is safe and investigate if anything unusual happens and if it does, make sure you notify us immediately. Understood? And Cade, make sure the men are in top condition. Anyone that can't make the journey must remain here." 

"Yes, sir!" 

He finally turned to the head paladins in the room. 

"Most of you will come with us to the Commonwealth. I need you to prepare your men as best as you can. However, none of you, and I mean none of you in this room, must mention where we are going yet. I will reveal that to the crew once we arrive. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

"Dismissed." 

 And with that everyone disbanded, once again leaving Arthur Maxson alone with his thoughts as he played around with the ring around his neck. 

"God, I wish you were here..."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it's begun. 
> 
> This might be a bit of a slow depressing start ;-; sorry. I just want to build up the characters and start setting everything in place for my m a s t e r plan.
> 
> Edit (2/17/19): So ummm I kinda made a lot of edits towards the series in general as well as the direction I want to go with this story. It honestly may take a while though cause I'm trying to work everything out. I also might rewrite the ending to Legacy soon to fix some problems I noticed. :/ Sorry


	2. Chapter 2 - The Commonwealth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Brotherhood arrives in The Commonwealth and Elder Maxson meets a local Vault Dweller.

 

 

 

 

 

_Squire Arthur Maxson aimed his pistol at the makeshift dummy set up behind an old car. He took a deep breath before pulling the trigger. He shot out twelve shots from his pistol as quickly as he could. As the dust cleared from in front of him, he noticed eight bullet holes on the dummy's helmet. Four more in the wall behind it. Arthur muttered out a curse under his shallow breathing. He reloaded the gun and aimed it at the dummy again. He fired twelve more shots. Only seven hit the dummy. He gripped onto his pistol harder as he reloaded the gun. He felt anger seethe through him as he aimed the pistol again and fired more shots. This time only six hit. Then five. Four. Arthur was about to scream when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Sarah Lyons behind him, glaring down at him.  
_

_"Squire. Calm down," she ordered. Arthur sighed._

_"Yes,_ Sentinel _..." He looked away from her, too ashamed to show his face to her. Sarah stepped in front of the_ _ten-year-old and knelt down to his level._

_"You mind telling me what's wrong?" she asked. Arthur shook his head._

_"Arthur..."_

_"Nothing's wrong! I just got frustrated is all..."_

_"Arthur."_

_"I'm serious..."_

_"Is this about what happened to Jo?" The boy froze. Sarah frowned and put her hand to the boy's cheek._

_"It's okay, Arthur..." The boy was silent. "Have you written any stories lately?"_

_"No."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Stories are for children. I'm not a child."_

_"Arthur..."_

_"I just want to spend my time training like everyone else does. I want to be the best shot in the whole Citadel."_

_"And you're sure that's what you want?" Sarah said glumly. Arthur nodded. "If that's the case, would you like some help?" The boy reluctantly nodded. Sarah got up and knelt next to the squire. "You need to focus on your breathing more. This is what I want you to do..." Soon, Arthur was hitting nine out of the twelve shots. He soon began to faintly smile as he practiced shooting with Sarah by his side._

_"Hey, Arthur?" Sarah said at one point. Arthur aimed the gun at the dummy._

_"Yeah, Sarah?"_

_"If you ever want to talk about something, just know I'm here for you, okay? Especially if it's about, you know..." Arthur took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit right in the center of the dummy's head._

_"I know, Sarah."_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

     It's been three days since the meeting and the Citadel has been busy, from sending increased patrols around DC, scribes rushing to find any information on the Commonwealth, and training lasting all throughout the day and night. Arthur sat alone in his room, shuffling through the last few reports stacked on his desk. Reports about Talon Company Mercs, findings on the Commonwealth, missions throughout the Capital Wasteland. Arthur picked up one from a paladin stationed at Rivet City. _"While stationed here at Rivet City,"_ the knight wrote, " _I heard stories from the locals talking about an incident that happened ten years ago, where an old man was looking for an android. It was said that he hired a woman to find the android, but disappeared shortly after."_

     A memory flashed through Arthur's mind. Jo sat across from him in the cafeteria, telling him about an android she encountered from the Commonwealth. Arthur frowned and threw the report with the rest. How long has the Institute had these abominations?

_Knock knock._

"Come in." The door opened to reveal Kells.

"Sir, the vertibirds are ready," he informed. Arthur threw another report into the pile beside his desk.

“I’ll be there in a minute. Go ahead and make sure everything is in order.”

      “Of course, sir.” And with that, the door closed. Arthur looked down at the pile by his desk and sighed. He picked up the scattered papers and left them on his desk, making a mental note to tell the next knight he sees to have them delivered to the archives. He grabbed his coat from his chair and promptly headed towards the door. He grabbed the handle but stopped before he turned it. The white noise buzzed in his ear as he stood there. He sighed and began to slowly turn the handle before finding himself walking down the empty halls of the B Ring. Walked past his old room. Walked past the Lyons Den and the cafeteria. Two knights stood at the door to the Bailey and opened it as their Elder walked past.

     “Ad Victoriam, Elder!” They called out as he walked past. The light outside blinded him as he stepped outside. Elder Maxson squinted his eyes as he began to make out his men standing at attention around the walls of the base. He could hear the sounds of vertibirds revving up nearby. Maxson kept a straight face as he began to walk towards the entrance. Eyes forward. Back straight. Chin up. He strode to the entrance of the Citadel.

Eyes forward. Back straight. Chin up. A small cross stood in the corner of his eye.

    Eyes forward. Back straight. Chin up. He glanced at the cross and stopped in his tracks. Three crosses were planted into the ground at the corner of the Bailey. He could feel everyone’s eyes burn into him as he turned towards them and began to walk forward. He soon found himself before the crosses. Small plaques were placed in front of each cross.

_Elder Owyn Lyons. Elder Sarah Lyons. Joanne Santos._

    Arthur knelt down and looked at each of the crosses. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll come home safe. I’ll save the Commonwealth. You’ll see,” Arthur whispered. Suddenly, he could feel hundreds of eyes stabbing into him. He stood back up and looked at the graves. Elder Maxson hit his heart with a fist and with a loud voice, declared “I’ll do you proud! Ad Victoriam!” He could hear cheering from all around him. And with that, the Elder turned back and strode towards the entrance. Two more knights opened the door for him as he walked through. Once outside, he could see three vertibirds waiting, with Kells already standing in front of one. Elder Maxson walked to him.

“Is everything all set, Captain?” he asked him.

    “Yes, Elder. I just received word that the Prydwen has also finished setting up. We’re ready when you are.” Elder Maxson glanced back at the Citadel. The knights were already closing the doors. He looked back at Kells.

    “There’s no time to waste,” he answered. He climbed into the vertibird and sat down on the bench. He looked back at the Citadel as Kells climbed on. The piloting scribe began to call out readings before Arthur felt the ground slightly shake. Slowly, they began to rise. Arthur watched as the Citadel began to stand proudly underneath them. All the soldiers that were lined up in its walls had begun to scatter. Two other vertibirds rose up beside him, with paladins in power armor holding tightly onto their machine guns. Arthur continued to watch the Citadel. He watched as the people there became ants.

“All clear for the Prydwen,” the scribe called out. The vertibird began to move forward. Arthur watched as the Citadel slowly faded over the distance.  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The Prydwen. One of the Brotherhood's most impressive achievements Arthur ever laid his eyes on. She weighed 40,000 tons, loomed over the land at 300 meters long, carrying over 400 soldiers in her hull, all while being powered by a fusion plant from an old wrecked aircraft carrier. Arthur nearly smiled as he watched the glistening airship come into view. As the vertibird slowly began to dock, Arthur could see a couple of powered armored knights approaching the aircraft, followed by Proctor Ingram. Before he could even take a deep breath, they already began to surround him. 

 "Welcome back, sir!"

 "Hope you had a safe trip, sir!"

"Yes, yes, thank you. Return to your posts, knights. Proctor Ingram. I trust that is everything ready?" the Elder asked. Proctor Ingram nodded. 

    "Yes, Elder. If we leave now, then we should be in the Commonwealth by twenty one hundred hours. We have plenty of coolant to get there." Maxson nodded. "Good. Kells, go ahead and begin heading out. You'll know where to find me if there are any problems. Proctor Ingram, make sure the men are prepared to take over the airport once we get there. I don't want any problems. Understand?" The two chimed "yes, sir" in unison then went off to their posts. Meanwhile, Arthur stayed behind and took one last glance at the desolate Capital Wasteland before disappearing inside of the Prydwen and the giant airship began its journey north.  _  
_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Night slowly began to fall on the East Coast as the Prydwen neared its target. Arthur stood proudly at the Forecastle, overlooking the new world. He took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled faintly. He could see countless stars with skyscrapers in the distance reaching for them. There was almost no light in the sky, except for the vertibirds that surrounded the airship and the green glow of the Glowing Sea to his right. Fog hid the ground below the Prydwen, creating a hazy sea around the towers. He couldn't help but smile widely when he heard the Prydwen begin to boom loudly across the Commonwealth. 

_"PEOPLE OF THE COMMONWEALTH. DO NOT INTERFERE. OUR INTENTIONS ARE PEACEFUL..."_

    Two vertibirds zoomed past Arthur and began to fire at super mutants camped nearby. They all fell within seconds. Arthur looked carefully around at his surroundings as a cool wind wrapped around him. There was a building nearby. He looked down at the building to see two people standing on the roof, looking up. He wondered if they felt as in awe as so many others had. As Arthur looked at the two on the building closer, he noticed the one with the baige coat wasn't even looking up at the sky. The one looking up at the sky had on a blue jumpsuit. The two soon disappeared as the Prydwen continued its parade into the Commonwealth. According to reports, there was a functional vault nearby. That's probably all it was.

   The Prydwen gathered lots of attention as bullets tried to shoot the airship down. Super mutants occupied the skyscrapers in the city. A few times, Arthur nearly had to retreat back inside due to the gunfire outside. But the Prydwen continued forward. Arthur could see people on the ground looking up and pointing at the airship in the sky. After parading into the city, the battle finally began. The Boston Airport. Vertibirds rushed towards the airport, firing down it and dropping off initiates and knights along the way. Elder Maxson could see it all from the forecastle. Ferals all over the place. Initiates and knights went in guns blazing, tearing through the ghouls that littered the place. They didn't stand a chance. It was pathetic. The Prydwen slowly began to dock right off the coast. Arthur took one last breath of fresh air and looked up at the waxing moon in the sky.

 "Welcome to the Commonwealth," Arthur whispered to himself. He took out the necklace with the small silver ring and gave it a soft kiss before opening the door and making his way to the Command Deck.  

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

  Elder Maxson stood triumphantly in the Command Deck of the Prydwen. He looked at his men as they lined up in front of him almost as proud as he was. Behind his back, he held tightly onto his necklace as all eyes were on him. Soon, everyone was in place. He began to speak.

 

"Brothers and sisters, the road behind us has been long and fraught with difficulty..." He continued with his speech, letting his voice ring out on the deck. He looked everyone in the eye as they listened. The Institute. Their synths. They listened with a fire in their hearts. As the Elder spoke,  he noticed a woman at the doorway. He felt himself go cold.

 

   She wore a familiar blue and yellow jumpsuit and a small golden ring on her left ring finger. Quickly, Arthur looked away from the woman and instead at his men. He continued with his speech, now actively ignoring eye contact with the vault dweller at the entrance.

 

"...This campaign will be costly and many lives will be lost. But in the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy...itself. Ad Victoriam!"

 

"Ad Victoriam!" His men cried out.

And then they all left, except for the woman in the blue jumpsuit. She approached the Elder and extended her hand.

"Greetings, Elder. I'm Rebecca Cross."

Hesitantly, he took her hand.

"You must be the new recruit Danse reported about," Maxson greeted. "I've heard good things about you. Hail to you, Initiate."

"That was quite a speech. It's been a while since I've heard someone so passionate in their speeches."

"Well, I care about them, you know," Maxson somberly replied. "The people of the Commonwealth. They don't know what they're getting involved with."

"I can see that," Cross answered. "From what I've seen, the Institute is dangerous. I've seen families torn apart because of them. Saw a guy nearly blow his brother's brains out cause he thought he was a synth."

  "I'm glad you feel the same way. Paladin Danse's reports were quite clear regarding your feelings towards the Brotherhood. And he concludes that you'd be an asset to us." The vault dweller raised a brow.

 "Oh really?"

"Yes. And seeing as how he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation."

"I guess I really am lucky," she joked under her breath. Arthur gripped the ring in his hand tighter.

  "B-because-" He cleared his throat - "because of your work with the Brotherhood so far, I've decided to grant you the rank of Knight. And, befitting your title, we're granting you a suit of Power Armor to protect you on the field of battle. Wear it with pride." Knight Cross's face brightened instantly.

"I, thank you. I'll do my best to live up to it, Elder."

"I'm certain you will. In any event, finish becoming familiar with the Prydwen and my staff and report to the Flight Deck tomorrow morning for your new orders."

"Of course, Elder!" Knight Cross began to walk towards the ladder to the main deck. Arthur could clearly see the numbers 111 printed on her back.

"Knight Cross?" He found himself speaking up. The woman stopped and looked back at him and for a second he could almost imagine his old friend there instead.

"Yes, Elder?" Silence.

 "I have high expectations for you," he finally spoke up. "I hope you'll live up to them." Knight Cross smiled.

"I hope so, too, Elder." And with that, she was gone.

A faint voice whispered in Arthur's ear.

_"Until then, Arthur!"_

Arthur sighed and began to look through the tinted windows at the Commonwealth. He should have known it wouldn't have been this easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this kinda took a while to put out. I reworked the story idea I had several times but I finally settled on one! Although, on a serious note, my dog also died during this time and I want to dedicate this story to her, especially since it conveniently happens to connect to the story I want to tell.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Vault Dweller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur has a little problem.

    Arthur looked out into the sea as the sun slowly began to rise. Down below, he could see Fort Strong as it stood silently in the waters below. Knight Cross was supposed to arrive any moment now. He had instructed Paladin Danse to make sure she would arrive on time for her new mission. Thoughts flooded his mind as he watched the fort in the distance. In that fort sat hundreds of fat man shells. Super mutants were scattered throughout the fort. He had read Kells' report.

_"I'm certain I don't have to remind you that the Super Mutants are smart enough to utilize the weapons and that the Prydwen is well within a Fat Man launcher's range. I urge you to send someone down there immediately to deal with this threat before we end up as targets for their nuclear arsenal."_

An image flashed in his head. Bloody blonde hair. Dead blue eyes. A pool of blood staining the ground. He felt a surge of anger spill over him.  He thought about the hundreds of ghouls that had occupied the Boston Airport. All the ghouls and super mutants that littered the Commonwealth, terrorizing farmers, traders, and innocent people trying to get through the day. Meanwhile, the Institute was still out there, kidnapping helpless settlers and replacing them with robotic copies of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, possibly even children. He could see the Prydwen bursting into flames, slowly crashing into the ground as countless soldiers were murdered. He was trying to save as many of them as possible, calling out to them to retreat, but as chaos engulfed him, he could see a familiar woman staring at him through the smoke. He could see her smiling.

"Excuse me, Elder Maxson?"

  Arthur's eyes shot open as he looked around at his surroundings. The sun started was bearing down on him from above. He was still on the flight deck, holding tightly onto the railing. He could hear soldiers behind him going throughout their daily routine. Nothing was on fire. No one was being killed. He took a deep breath. Everyone was okay. He was okay. He stood up and turned around. Knight Cross stood across from him, the sun beaming off of her vault 111 suit. Behind her was Paladin Danse, in his power armor like always.

 "Ah, Knight Cross. Please, Forgive me. I have a lot on my mind. Now, I hope you're ready for your next assignment?" Elder Maxson began. 

"Yes, Elder. Just point me to the action!" The Elder tried his best not to smile.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, knight. Let's get right to it then, shall we? Take a look over there. That's Fort Strong, and it's infested with Super Mutants. Having those aberrations of nature close enough to smell is making me sick to my stomach. To make matters worse, they're sitting on top of a massive stockpile of Fat Man shells we could use in our campaign. I want you to head over there, wipe out everything that moves, and secure that stockpile. Understood?"

"Super mutants? I thought the enemy was the Institute." Maxson shook his head. 

"Super Mutants are no better than synths. Whether it's using biochemistry to manipulate genes or trying to create life from a bunch of circuits, it's the wrong path for science. As members of the Brotherhood, it's our sworn duty to exterminate these abominations in every form. So, can I count on you to get the job done?"

Knight Cross let out a dazzling smile. "Consider it done."

"Look, I realize you're eager to take the fight to the Institute, but it will have to wait. The Brotherhood cannot allow those abominations to have a nuclear arsenal at their fingertips."

"It'll be a pleasure to exterminate that mutant filth," Danse commented.

"Now... we have a vertibird on standby, fully armed and ready to depart. Use it to carry our message to Fort Strong and wipe those dirty mutants from the face of the earth. Dismissed."

Knight Cross and Paladin Danse nodded and began to make their way to a nearby vertibird. Arthur watched as the two headed out and as Knight Cross began to talk excitedly to Danse. He felt himself smile slightly before an image flashed in his mind. It was of a familiar little boy talking excitingly to a young vault dweller. He quickly shook the image out of his head and watched as the duo boarded a vertibird before they disappeared into the Commonwealth below.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Elder Maxson paced back and forth as he listened to Kells give his report. His scribes had searched every nook and cranny of the CIT Ruins, but no sign of the Institute. More readings were appearing outside of Diamond City, however, when a team was sent to investigate, they found nothing but rude and paranoid civilians. To make matters worse, while at Diamond City, rumors of an organization called "The Railroad" began to spring up. A group dedicated to saving synths and stopping the Institute. Numerous settlements seemed opposed to Brotherhood help. Negotiations were in place, however. 

 "On the bright side," Kells continued. "We already have several bases established throughout the Commonwealth. The Cambridge Police Station, Waypoint Echo...We also have a few patrols around Diamond City and where we think the Railroad is hiding." 

"Perfect. What about the troops? How are they adjusting?" 

"Quite well, actually. Some continue to act out of line, but they are being dealt with as we speak. We've already gotten a few wastelanders to join our ranks. They are currently training at the airport and making outstanding progress." Elder Maxson paused. 

"Knight Cross. What are your thoughts on her?" 

"Well, she certainly doesn't look the part, but from what I've heard from Paladin Danse, she'll make a fine addition to our ranks." Maxson nodded. 

"Alright...Have you heard anything back from Fort Strong?" 

"Not yet, sir." He sighed.

"Knight Cross should have been back hours ago. I'll need you to send a group over to the Fort soon if we don't hear anything soon..." The door to the flight deck opened and Captain Kells turned around to see who it was. Maxson soon followed and felt his heart sink when his eyes immediately landed on familiar blue fabric. Knight Cross smiled when she saw the two of them and made her way towards the men. Arthur noticed her vault suit was caked with blood, the gold foil still shining as bright as ever. The vault dweller smiled at Arthur before turning towards Kells. An image flashed in his head. 

 A young woman under the grey sky. She's kneeling down in front of a young boy, smiling, as she hands him a notebook. Arthur felt a pang of pain in his heart. He took a deep breath and looked back at the vault dweller in front of him. She was moving her mouth now, as Kells nodded. 

"...Paladin Danse is at the Fort now, securing the fat man shells. I double checked the entire building for super mutants before leaving." Kells nodded again. 

"Thank you, Knight. Elder, do you have anything you'd like to add?" 

Maxson internally cursed himself before looking back at the two. Hesitantly, he shook his head. "No. I think that's enough for now. Knight, your orders are to remain on the Prydwen and await further instructions. Understood?" Knight Cross smiled and nodded. Arthur started to feel throbbing in his head.

"Yes, sir." 

"You're dismissed, Knight," Kells told her. "Elder Maxson and I have some business to attend to." Arthur shook his head. 

"That, that'll be all for now, Kells. I... have some things I need to attend to." Kells frowned. 

"Oh. Yes, of course, Elder. "

Arthur watched as the two turned to walk away. Arthur noticed more blood on Knight Cross's back, covering the 111 on her suit almost completely. His headache worsened. He waited for the young woman to disappear up the ladder to the Command Deck before making his way up. As he climbed up the ladder, he felt relief as he saw the two Brotherhood flags outside of his bedroom door. The young man hurried and opened the door to his room, grabbing a bottle of vodka on his table, before chugging it all down. The pain didn't go away. So, he drank another bottle and another bottle and continued to until he felt dizzy. He took a step towards his bed, but nearly collapsed as he staggered towards it. After what felt like forever, Arthur finally collapsed onto his bed. The Elder felt himself going in and out of consciousness.  _Good_ , he thought.  _I need a break._ As the world turned dark around him, Arthur could hear a laugh outside of his door, followed by a familiar voice. Knight Cross's voice. 

 _"Until then, Arthur!"_  

Then everything went dark. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  When Arthur woke up, Knight-Captain Cade was sitting by his bed with medical equipment all around him. Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were unintelligible moans. Cade sighed. 

 "Good. You're awake." Arthur sat upon his bed, his head still throbbing. 

"What happened?" 

"You blacked out. Kells found you in here a few hours ago. It appears you had a little -" Cade looked back at the several empty bottles on his table - "just a little too much to drink. Now, how are you feeling? What do you remember before blacking out?" 

"Like shit, Cade. Look, Cade, I'll be fine. I just got a bit too careless." Cade frowned. 

"Elder, if I may. I may have been lenient in the past of your alcohol usage, but this is not acceptable. Blackouts like these can lead to serious consequences, Elder Maxson. You can experience severe memory loss. Not to mention the liver damage, cardiovascular disease or even risk of cancer you could get if you continue with this." 

"I said I'll be _fine_ , Cade. I just drank a little too much. It won't happen again." Cade's eyes narrowed. 

"I sure hope it doesn't, Elder. For _your_ sake." Cade took out an addictol and handed it to the elder. "I'd recommend taking this before you go about your day."  The doctor stood up and after putting away his equipment, headed for the door. As he reached the door, he sighed and turned back to Arthur one last time. "And please, find some way to lighten up on the alcohol. I hope I won't have to come back here again." Arthur sighed and nodded. 

"Of course, Cade. I'll try." And with that, the doctor left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Evening on the Prydwen. The time when most of the soldiers began to settle down after a long day. Elder Maxson headed up the stairs as he watched the soldiers chatting in the distance. He tried his best to ignore everyone as they stared at him. A few gave him salutes. No one ignored his presence, though. Normally, Arthur would never go near the soldiers' quarters. However, Senior Scribe Neriah had made a discovery concerning gen 1 synths and Proctor Quinlan required him immediately. As Elder Maxson made his way to Scribe Neriah's lab, he could hear a woman laugh from the Power Armor stations. Arthur glanced down at the stations below and saw Knight Cross. Knight Cross was standing by one of the Power Armor stations, her vault suit glaring at him from under all the lights. She had a broad, radiating smile as Paladin Danse stood next to her, repairing his power armor. Suddenly, the two burst out in laughter. Arthur felt a faint smile on his face, but immediately felt his head began to throb. The thought of fleeing to his room crossed Arthur's mind, but he quickly shook the thought out his head and began to walk faster towards Neriah's lab. 

  "Find some way to lighten up on the alcohol, _"_  Cade had told him. The thought of Cross flashed through his head as he saw Neriah and Quinlan in the distance. He thought of Jo, standing in front of him with her vault suit on. Arthur took a deep breath and continued forward. Perhaps there was an easy way to fix this.

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 The next morning, Arthur was looking out at the Commonwealth when he could see Knight Cross approaching him on the Command Deck. He felt sweat rolling down his forehead as the vault dweller approached him. The woman stopped a few feet away from the young elder and quickly made a salute. "Reporting as ordered, Elder." Arthur took a deep breath and turned to face the knight. 

 "Knight Cross, I would like to discuss something with you." 

"Yes, Elder? Is it about the Institute, sir?" 

"No, knight. It's about your...attire." 

"Pardon?" 

"I have received numerous complaints from your peers," he told her. "As you know, the Brotherhood has certain standards it needs to uphold. We have especially high standards regarding uniforms. I admit I've been a bit lenient in the past by letting you wear your...vault suit. From now on, I would like you to wear the appropriate uniform. You can get one from Proctor Teagan. Do you have any questions, Knight?" Knight Cross was speechless. After a moment, she shook her head. 

"No, Elder." 

"Look, by now, I'm sure you've deduced that our arrival in the Commonwealth wasn't coincidental. We're here because of a unique energy reading recorded by Paladin Danse's recon team. According to our scribes, the reading indicated a level of technology that only the Institute could achieve. The moment this information came to light, our mission became clear. The Institute and everyone responsible for the creation of the synths must be eliminated, at all costs. To accomplish this goal, we need to locate the Institute's headquarters. I've had our scribes meticulously searching the Commonwealth but they've come up empty-handed. The only logical explanation is that they've gone underground. That's where we need your help." Knight Cross's eyes brightened. 

"Anything you need, Elder. Just say the word." 

"The Institute has managed to keep itself hidden for a number of years, but it's only a matter of time before we find them.  I want you to get out there and become our eyes and ears on the ground. You seemed to have a vested interest in locating the Institute before we met, so I'm confident you'll travel in the right circles. If you discover a way in, I need you to report it to me immediately. Any questions, Knight?" 

"Not right now, Elder." 

"Very well then. Dismissed, Knight." Knight Cross slipped out a smile and soon disappeared down below. Arthur let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is it that writing the end of the book is easier than writing the beginning? Sorry it's a little short :/ Writer's block sucks.  
> Also, I edited the ending to Legacy a little bit. I feel like it's a lot better now than it was, but its not perfect. There's still a few things that bother me about it, but I'll probably fix that at a later date. I honestly might change the title of this story at some point too, but I honestly can't think of anything at the moment.


End file.
